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Matthew Franks, author of the upcoming middle grade novel Orion Medallion, talks to The Quillery about his first book, The Monster Underneath.

TQ: Welcome to The Qwillery. When and why did you start writing?

Matthew: I started writing short stories in the third grade. Initially, I wrote to pass the time between lessons, but inevitably it became my passion. In those days, I wrote in three genres - action adventure, horror, and absurd. In the action adventure stories, a superhero went around beating up bad guys.

​In the horror stories, a Jason Voorhees type character went around murdering people. As for the absurd stories, well, it may be best to just give an example. In one of them, a kid's ear pops off his head and takes on a life of its own. It cleans itself up, puts on a tux, and gets a job like a person. I still have some of those stories and love looking back at them every now and then.

TQ: Are you a plotter, a pantser or a hybrid?

Matthew: Definitely a hybrid. It really depends on the story too. For The Monster Underneath, I knew where I was headed, but the subject matter allowed for a more stream-of-consciousness approach. In other works, especially fantasy and science fiction, I find it important to not only plot, but also ensure that the world, or worlds, of the story are well-developed ahead of time. If the setting is complete, I find it much easier to plot and navigate within it.

TQ: What is the most challenging thing for you about writing?

Matthew: Finding time. I'm sure that's what a lot of writers say, but it's true. There's always a lot going on in the real world and finding that perfect balance isn't easy.

The Monster Underneath was published by Samhain publishing in 2016.

To read the full interview and find out more about Matthew's work, click HERE

DeClark said she has always loved mystery novels and the city of Detroit, where she was born and raised.

“I wanted to create a fun, easy-to-read mystery novel set in Detroit,” she said. “My main character is a female homicide detective, and I chose that role because I wanted to do a series, and I wanted her to be in a profession.”DeClark said she loves to watch crime documentaries like A & E’s “The First 48,” and TLC’s “Forensic Files,” as well as fictional shows, like USA’s “Monk” and CBS’s “CSI,” and she drew her inspiration from the shows.“Every once in a while they will feature an episode in Detroit, and that really got me excited because they would have actual homicide detectives in Detroit solving a crime,” she said. “So I used what I saw from there, and what I didn’t know I made up.”DeClark said her overactive imagination also helps.“I just slowly started putting it together,” she said. “It took me a couple years.”

[...] “I think of writing as a craft,” she said. “The more you practice it, the better you get at it. And I just do it a little bit at a time, and slowly piece it all together, and it became a novel.”

Authors '18, a group dedicated to Adult and New Adult authors debuting their first novels in 2018, recently interviewed first-time author Melissa Bennett, whose book debuted in January.

What can you tell us about yourself?​I grew up in Waco, Texas, but I now live in the suburbs of Kansas City with my husband of 30 years. We are (finally) empty nesters. Two of our four children are on their own, and two are in college. So my only babies are my two Miniature Schnauzers, Chrissy and Cassie.

How did you get into writing?

I’ve always loved writing. Even when I was young. As an adult, I journaled, mostly prayer typer journals. Like Aibileen in “The Help”, I talk to God by writing things down. I’ve shared a few things with close friends who encouraged me to pursue it. That’s how the book started.

What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

I love to cook. I’m a cookbook collector, but I rarely follow a recipe. And if I can find anything creative to do, I will.

Kasch has written a fresh new S.T.E.M. (science, technology, engineering or math) novel featuring a young female scientist and says, “I wrote Irma the Inventor because I love science and new technology and wanted to share my enthusiasm with young girls in a fun, entertaining way."​ClickHERE for the full article